Emily Johnson, a production intern on "Harvey", has submitted her own look at the rehearsal process:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Work through entire show
At the beginning of rehearsal, the actors were already warmed up, in rehearsal clothes, and ready to go. Everyone was focused and free of distractions.
For about the first 45 minutes of rehearsal, we worked through Scene 10 to the end of the act. No large changes were made; we had little time on this scene the week before, so a little bit of perfecting was needed.
Just before 8:00, Susanna, our director, quickly went through some notes for us before starting our run of the entire show. Her main note was reminding everyone to breathe while on stage. As silly as it sounds, we all need reminders not to freeze on stage, even professionals.
We jumped into Act One to start the show. Scene One with Veta Louise and Myrtle May got us off to a great start; it set a good pace and focus for the rest of us.
Act One went very well, with only a few rough places. Things are starting to flow together nicely. Actors didn't call “line” nearly as much as last week. I’ve noticed a lot of improvement in the act; it is amazing to me how quickly everything is pulling together. Being in a professional environment, things move much faster then in the educational theatre I’ve experienced.
We stopped and took a quick break before starting Act Two. We re-set the stage for Scene One, regrouped, talked over a few little details, and started up again.
Act Two did start out quite as well as Act One did. Scene One was a little rough, but the three actors covered extremely well. As soon as we continued to the next scene, things went back to flowing well.
Tonight, I specifically enjoyed watching Dr. Sanderson and Ms. Kelley, played by Ben and Heather, in Act Two. They have really developed an interesting relationship in the play and they can make me laugh easily.
When the clock hit 10:00, we hadn’t finished the run of the show. Being a performance intern, I was released from rehearsal not knowing how it wrapped up. I hope it went well.
--Emily
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
More from Sean's Journal
Monday, September 21st
Second Act notes and run
Tonight we are going to work through notes from Act 2 and then do a runthrough of that act. The set construction is almost done. We have a fireplace for the Dowd residence and a beautiful office door for the hospital lobby. One wall of the residence folds in half to create an opening to see into the hall outside the hospital lobby. And the residence bookshelf rotates to form the back wall of the lobby. Cool!
General note from Susanna: "Think about expectation vs. reality. What do you expect to happen in the scene, or in response to your line? What really happens? How does that inform what you say/do next?"
8:30 – Some of the most difficult scenes to do are ones in which multiple actors have short or overlapping lines, paired with fast, specific motions. They have to be treated almost like dances, or fights, and choreographed specifically. We had a couple of scenes tonight to treat this way. First is when Veta Louise (Stephanie) arrives home from her ordeal at the hospital. Judge Gaffney (Tom) and Myrtle Mae (Megan) help her tell her story (sort of). It's funny, but it requires precise timing. When you are involved in a scene like that you can tell right away when you get the timing perfectly; the trick is to keep it there every time you do the scene. And by the time you add in the audience, the props, and the rest of the show...the timing will have changed!
I worked on the scene where Dowd is telling Wilson (Ben E.), Sanderson (Ben M.) and Kelly (Heather) about Harvey. Parts of the scene we re-choreographed, other parts we made more specific. Layered onto all of this I got the note to add a hint of being “spiffed” (drunk) to Dowd's manner. Yikes, I have a lot to do!
8:35 – Susanna to Heather: "I want you to actually kiss Dowd on the lips."
Sean to Susanna: "I guess that twenty I slipped you worked."
Heather to Sean: "You mean I was only worth twenty?"
And on we go into the run.
10:05 – Once again we stop just short of the end. I saw results from all the notes we worked on today, but we still need to put the whole thing together. I notice that while I'm busy congratulating myself over the wonderful way I handled a note, I forget my next line. Note to self – no more congratulations.
Full run tomorrow!
Second Act notes and run
Tonight we are going to work through notes from Act 2 and then do a runthrough of that act. The set construction is almost done. We have a fireplace for the Dowd residence and a beautiful office door for the hospital lobby. One wall of the residence folds in half to create an opening to see into the hall outside the hospital lobby. And the residence bookshelf rotates to form the back wall of the lobby. Cool!
General note from Susanna: "Think about expectation vs. reality. What do you expect to happen in the scene, or in response to your line? What really happens? How does that inform what you say/do next?"
8:30 – Some of the most difficult scenes to do are ones in which multiple actors have short or overlapping lines, paired with fast, specific motions. They have to be treated almost like dances, or fights, and choreographed specifically. We had a couple of scenes tonight to treat this way. First is when Veta Louise (Stephanie) arrives home from her ordeal at the hospital. Judge Gaffney (Tom) and Myrtle Mae (Megan) help her tell her story (sort of). It's funny, but it requires precise timing. When you are involved in a scene like that you can tell right away when you get the timing perfectly; the trick is to keep it there every time you do the scene. And by the time you add in the audience, the props, and the rest of the show...the timing will have changed!
I worked on the scene where Dowd is telling Wilson (Ben E.), Sanderson (Ben M.) and Kelly (Heather) about Harvey. Parts of the scene we re-choreographed, other parts we made more specific. Layered onto all of this I got the note to add a hint of being “spiffed” (drunk) to Dowd's manner. Yikes, I have a lot to do!
8:35 – Susanna to Heather: "I want you to actually kiss Dowd on the lips."
Sean to Susanna: "I guess that twenty I slipped you worked."
Heather to Sean: "You mean I was only worth twenty?"
And on we go into the run.
10:05 – Once again we stop just short of the end. I saw results from all the notes we worked on today, but we still need to put the whole thing together. I notice that while I'm busy congratulating myself over the wonderful way I handled a note, I forget my next line. Note to self – no more congratulations.
Full run tomorrow!
More of Sean's rehearsal journal
Sunday, September 20th
First Act notes and run
Tonight we are working notes from Act 1 of Thursday's run, and then we hope to do a complete run of Act 1. Walayn is back with a cast from her right elbow to the wrist, and she is taking it easy tonight. The rest of the cast seem ready to get going and make this act sing.
First we get a general note from Susanna: "Think about circumstances – What time is it? Why are you here? Where did you come from? Where are you going? If you know these things before you get on stage, the audience will believe you when you’re on stage."
8:00 – Notes sessions can be fun, interesting, challenging or dull. Sometimes all at the same time. A note may be a very specific item for one actor, a movement, an indication. Other times a note may involve a whole scene or a subset of actors in a scene. This is the best opportunity for the director to provide her feedback on what she sees, and fix the things that aren't working. I like the collaborative aspect of notes – there's a problem here, how can we solve it together?
I got some good notes, mostly about those places where I got lazy and didn’t really think about what I was saying. Because my voice is the way it is, I occasionally lean on it without really doing my character homework.
Next we're going to work through Scene 8, when my character, Elwood P. Dowd, first comes into the hospital. It's a fun scene but it has been falling short of the mark until now.
8:45 – Great scenework session. I now understand what I'm saying (what a concept!) and the comedy plays much more clearly. In fact it makes the whole scene much more fun for all of us.
Next up is our run of Act 1.
10:10 – We didn’t quite make it all the way through the act... stopped about 5 minutes short. I think fatigue was setting in, and all the new information we got in the notes sessions threw off some things that hadn’t been a problem before. But Scene 8 went very well and a lot of the things we worked on during notes were fabulous. The comic timing is coming along nicely as the concerns over "What’s my line?" start to fade. I’m still laughing!
First Act notes and run
Tonight we are working notes from Act 1 of Thursday's run, and then we hope to do a complete run of Act 1. Walayn is back with a cast from her right elbow to the wrist, and she is taking it easy tonight. The rest of the cast seem ready to get going and make this act sing.
First we get a general note from Susanna: "Think about circumstances – What time is it? Why are you here? Where did you come from? Where are you going? If you know these things before you get on stage, the audience will believe you when you’re on stage."
8:00 – Notes sessions can be fun, interesting, challenging or dull. Sometimes all at the same time. A note may be a very specific item for one actor, a movement, an indication. Other times a note may involve a whole scene or a subset of actors in a scene. This is the best opportunity for the director to provide her feedback on what she sees, and fix the things that aren't working. I like the collaborative aspect of notes – there's a problem here, how can we solve it together?
I got some good notes, mostly about those places where I got lazy and didn’t really think about what I was saying. Because my voice is the way it is, I occasionally lean on it without really doing my character homework.
Next we're going to work through Scene 8, when my character, Elwood P. Dowd, first comes into the hospital. It's a fun scene but it has been falling short of the mark until now.
8:45 – Great scenework session. I now understand what I'm saying (what a concept!) and the comedy plays much more clearly. In fact it makes the whole scene much more fun for all of us.
Next up is our run of Act 1.
10:10 – We didn’t quite make it all the way through the act... stopped about 5 minutes short. I think fatigue was setting in, and all the new information we got in the notes sessions threw off some things that hadn’t been a problem before. But Scene 8 went very well and a lot of the things we worked on during notes were fabulous. The comic timing is coming along nicely as the concerns over "What’s my line?" start to fade. I’m still laughing!
Director's Notes for "Harvey"
Our next show, "Harvey", opens on Friday, October 2nd. With rehearsals heading into the final week-and-a-half, director Susanna Wilson offers her personal observations on the experience:
As I and this great team of performers, designers, and stagecraft professionals have attacked this project, we have all found that Harvey has truly touched our lives in many ways...despite its inherent silliness.
For a play that was on Broadway for five years (becoming the 35th longest-running show to date), and which later became a famous film starring Jimmy Stewart in 1950, very little is known about Harvey's creator, Mary Coyle Chase. We know that she spent her entire life in Denver, Colorado. We know that she was a newspaper reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, where she was known as "our little Mary". We know that after winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945 with Harvey, she wrote a subsequent play called Mrs. McThing.
...And that is about it. Mary Chase is, for all intents and purposes, Harvey himself – invisibly pulling the strings of this wacky cast of characters. So is Harvey. As we rehearse the show, we can feel his invisible influence working in our lives – revealing our hidden desires and our true feelings about ourselves. I hope that he will touch your lives, too.
–Susanna Wilson, Director
As I and this great team of performers, designers, and stagecraft professionals have attacked this project, we have all found that Harvey has truly touched our lives in many ways...despite its inherent silliness.
For a play that was on Broadway for five years (becoming the 35th longest-running show to date), and which later became a famous film starring Jimmy Stewart in 1950, very little is known about Harvey's creator, Mary Coyle Chase. We know that she spent her entire life in Denver, Colorado. We know that she was a newspaper reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, where she was known as "our little Mary". We know that after winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945 with Harvey, she wrote a subsequent play called Mrs. McThing.
...And that is about it. Mary Chase is, for all intents and purposes, Harvey himself – invisibly pulling the strings of this wacky cast of characters. So is Harvey. As we rehearse the show, we can feel his invisible influence working in our lives – revealing our hidden desires and our true feelings about ourselves. I hope that he will touch your lives, too.
–Susanna Wilson, Director
Saturday, September 19, 2009
"Harvey" in Rehearsal - Behind the Scenes!
Our next Mainstage play, the classic comedy "Harvey", is now well along in rehearsals. We tried to get a blog entry from Harvey himself, but he was unavailable. So we've got the next best thing: An entry from his best friend, Elwood P. Dowd (actually Sean Mitchell, the actor currently rehearsing in that lead role). What follows is a look at how it all comes together, from the inside!
September 17th - Designer Runthrough
We're going to go through the whole play, no stopping (we hope), with an invited audience. The lighting designer, set and costume designers, and others associated with the production will be watching, making sure that what they're working on matches what we're doing.
7:10 Starting late...Well, I was late. Costumer is here with ideas, people seem pretty revved up.
7:20 - Susanna, our director, asks us to work with the idea that *all* the men respond to Miss Kelly (played by Heather). Not that the men don't already respond to Heather... We also learn that Waylayn (who plays Mrs. Chauvenet/Mrs. Chumley) broke her wrist and will not be here tonight. Best wishes to you Waylayn - hurry back.
7:30 - And we're off.
8:30 - I think the first act went pretty well. There were a few calls for lines but not a lot. This was the first time I sat and watched the whole act. I'm afraid my timing on a couple of my entrances was off, but not by too much, I hope!
There was some really nice stuff happening; I love the opening with Veta Louise (played by Stephanie) and Myrtle Mae (Megan). I laughed, and I heard the designers laughing too. Dr. Sanderson (Ben) was a little distracted in our scene, but it still flowed nicely. Later he said he was trying to incorporate the Miss Kelly note from earlier... Also, it turns out that I missed a cue that I had always given him before. Actors: If you think something on stage is another actor's fault, it's probably yours.
I like seeing how everyone's scripts look now. We're supposed to be off book, but that doesn't mean we're not looking at them when we're off stage. Tom (as Judge Gaffney) has his lines on cards - he can be seen flipping through them during the first act when he's not onstage much. Kendall (Dr. Chumley) has his script wirebound with his lines highlighted. Stephanie has the book itself - well folded and creased. I'm still working with my photocopied script, stapled in the corner; I've lost a couple of pages, but only one of them has lines of mine on it. (And I'm supposed to know them by now, right?)
8:45 - Here we go with Act II.
Doesn't seem quite as smooth as Act I. A bit more stumbling over lines and blocking. I get confused in my scene, and argh, stop things for a little bit. There are some nice relationships happening and some unexpected surprises (Kelly and Sanderson's double kiss for example). But also some clumping and awkwardness...we have some work to do here.
10:05 - Well we got through it! The designers got a lot of good information and we have a much better understanding of what we have to do in the next 14 days.
10:20 - Off to Matador for a little celebration, then home. Good night, everybody.
September 17th - Designer Runthrough
We're going to go through the whole play, no stopping (we hope), with an invited audience. The lighting designer, set and costume designers, and others associated with the production will be watching, making sure that what they're working on matches what we're doing.
7:10 Starting late...Well, I was late. Costumer is here with ideas, people seem pretty revved up.
7:20 - Susanna, our director, asks us to work with the idea that *all* the men respond to Miss Kelly (played by Heather). Not that the men don't already respond to Heather... We also learn that Waylayn (who plays Mrs. Chauvenet/Mrs. Chumley) broke her wrist and will not be here tonight. Best wishes to you Waylayn - hurry back.
7:30 - And we're off.
8:30 - I think the first act went pretty well. There were a few calls for lines but not a lot. This was the first time I sat and watched the whole act. I'm afraid my timing on a couple of my entrances was off, but not by too much, I hope!
There was some really nice stuff happening; I love the opening with Veta Louise (played by Stephanie) and Myrtle Mae (Megan). I laughed, and I heard the designers laughing too. Dr. Sanderson (Ben) was a little distracted in our scene, but it still flowed nicely. Later he said he was trying to incorporate the Miss Kelly note from earlier... Also, it turns out that I missed a cue that I had always given him before. Actors: If you think something on stage is another actor's fault, it's probably yours.
I like seeing how everyone's scripts look now. We're supposed to be off book, but that doesn't mean we're not looking at them when we're off stage. Tom (as Judge Gaffney) has his lines on cards - he can be seen flipping through them during the first act when he's not onstage much. Kendall (Dr. Chumley) has his script wirebound with his lines highlighted. Stephanie has the book itself - well folded and creased. I'm still working with my photocopied script, stapled in the corner; I've lost a couple of pages, but only one of them has lines of mine on it. (And I'm supposed to know them by now, right?)
8:45 - Here we go with Act II.
Doesn't seem quite as smooth as Act I. A bit more stumbling over lines and blocking. I get confused in my scene, and argh, stop things for a little bit. There are some nice relationships happening and some unexpected surprises (Kelly and Sanderson's double kiss for example). But also some clumping and awkwardness...we have some work to do here.
10:05 - Well we got through it! The designers got a lot of good information and we have a much better understanding of what we have to do in the next 14 days.
10:20 - Off to Matador for a little celebration, then home. Good night, everybody.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Our Own Little Woodstock Celebration
Following up on the last post...Someone asked if we could publish the list of songs we play before and during "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", and here it is!
Pre-show music:
The Grass Roots - "Midnight Confessions"
Tommy Roe - "Yummy Yummy Yummy"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine"
Beatles - "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?"
Percy Faith Orchestra - "Theme from 'A Summer Place' "
Shocking Blue - "Venus"
Oliver - "Jean"
Johnny Cash - "Ring of Fire"
Rolling Stones - "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Elvis Presley - "Suspicious Minds"
Cat Stevens - "Wild World"
Cilla Black - "What's It All About, Alfie?"
During the show, and intermission:
Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Incense & Peppermints"
Beatles - "Day Tripper"
Dionne Warwick - "What the World Needs Now"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson"
Beatles - "Yesterday"
The Byrds - "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Knock Three Times" (okay, it's 70's, but it fits the play SO well)
Simon & Garfunkel - "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
Stephen Stills - "Love the One You're With"
Happy downloading!
Pre-show music:
The Grass Roots - "Midnight Confessions"
Tommy Roe - "Yummy Yummy Yummy"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine"
Beatles - "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?"
Percy Faith Orchestra - "Theme from 'A Summer Place' "
Shocking Blue - "Venus"
Oliver - "Jean"
Johnny Cash - "Ring of Fire"
Rolling Stones - "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Elvis Presley - "Suspicious Minds"
Cat Stevens - "Wild World"
Cilla Black - "What's It All About, Alfie?"
During the show, and intermission:
Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Incense & Peppermints"
Beatles - "Day Tripper"
Dionne Warwick - "What the World Needs Now"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson"
Beatles - "Yesterday"
The Byrds - "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Knock Three Times" (okay, it's 70's, but it fits the play SO well)
Simon & Garfunkel - "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
Stephen Stills - "Love the One You're With"
Happy downloading!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Come and See "Last of the Red Hot Lovers"!
Hi folks, It's me, Mark Waldstein, familiar to many of you who attend shows at SecondStory. We're halfway through the run of the Neil Simon comedy, "Last of the Red Hot Lovers", playing through September 19th.
I get to play Barney Cashman, a guy going through a midlife crisis during the Swingin’ 60’s. He’s happily married, and yet he wants just a little slice of the sexual revolution that’s going on all around him. So he's trying to find someone to have an affair with…but the trouble is, the only place he can think of to bring these women is his mother’s apartment. Smooooooth, huh?
This means I get to share the evening with three lovely, talented actresses - April Wolfe, Rebecca Olson and Melinda Wallace. (Rebecca is new to our stage, but you'll recognize the other two.) All three are hilarious, in such different ways. I'm not going to tell you how Barney, umm, makes out...you'll have to come see that for yourself!
The whole 1960's period thing adds a fun angle to the show. We get to wear "mod" clothes for our costumes, the ladies are having a great time with hairstyles, and our pre-show music is filled with 60's hits. We dug deep for tunes that don't often turn up on classic-hit radio stations. On opening night, one audience member was overheard saying she wanted our soundtrack!
And we even got a "fab" review on the Web site SeattleActor.com. Have a look, then grab some tickets for tonight or tomorrow at 8:00 or Sunday afternoon at 2:00 (we no longer start our shows at :15 past the hour), or on Friday and Saturday nights (only) next weekend, our closing weekend.
I hope to see you there!
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